The Left Democratic Front government has delivered yet another promise to Kerala’s people with Prime Minister Narendra Modi set to flag off Kochi Water Metro, the first such initiative in the country, on Tuesday, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said in a statement here on Monday.
He said the project (in which 78 electric-hybrid ferries will operate in the Greater Kochi area) was the biggest integrated water transport system in Asia. The project was estimated to cost ₹1,136 crore, which included State government funds and soft loan by German funding agency KfW.
The project could be emulated in at least 40 cities in India which had abundant waterways. The State government was keen to revive and modernise water transport, including through National Waterway-III (that links Kollam and Kottapuram), considering that innumerable waterways in Kerala were once navigable, he said.
Mr Vijayan said the LTO batteries in the ferries would last much longer than conventional ones and could be charged faster. The ferries would be constantly monitored from an operational control centre at Vyttila, ensuring safety of commuters.
“Even differently abled people can safely board the vessels, irrespective of high or low tide, since there will be floating pontoons in all terminals in the mainland and at 10 islands. All this contributed to the ferries winning the internationally acclaimed Gussies Electric Boats Award in 2022. “
The ferries were expected to contribute to the socio-economic upliftment of islanders. A total of 34,000 commuters were expected to used the ferries daily, in the project’s first phase. Ultimately, the ferries would lessen 44,000 tonnes of carbon emission every year, by lessening dependence on vehicles, he added.
